Fender brace



Jul 20 1926. 1,593,063

W. G. DU N N FENDER BRACE Filed Dec. 1, 1924 Q 1 It M 24 Patented July 20, 1926.

WILLIAM" G? DUNN, 'OF" CLARIND AQIOWA.

FENDER BBAGE.

Application filed December 1. 1924Aa8efla1-1105 5758387.

.This invention relates .toithat vrclassiof fender braces in which the clamping memhere are appliedon to .of thexfendersand a connectin rod attac ed to each clamping- [member and extended across the. automobile from one fender to the other, and atension means applied tothe connecting memberafor supporting the. fenders under .ptensiontoi prevent them. from. rattling: and; .topenable them to withstand such xdownwardapressureb I be. applied. :1; Its :outerzend is formed" with a as-is frequentlyssubjected tosthemwithout distorting them from their-properlyalined.

positions.

The obje'cts of my invention arezto provide a fender brace oflthis classaofzsimple, dun.

able and inexpensive 'constructionthatimay be manufactured. in inexpensive and eas by. produce an eiiicienttand durablexfender brace at a minimumof expense.

More specifically it is-my oblect atoi-- rofor f enders' of aparti different. distances.

A further "object :is to: .provide zimproved means. for connecting together. and adjustably locking, the: inner:..endsr of :the.:.fender 1 en orting rods.

, yinvention consists the construction, :1; arrangement and combination ofithe :vanous 'l parts 10f. the device, whereby the obgteects ;contemplated attained; as. hereina r.

i s, in which igur'e lehows atop 0133131311 view of ithei'i rear :end :ofan antomobileishowing 'myriim- 1. :proved fender brace applied to the-"rears fender "thereof.

Fi spective view illustrating one end ortion of my improved fender brace. T e dotted lines in this figure indicate the position of the fender within the clamping members.

Figure 3 shows a side elevation of my improved fender clamping members and a ortion of a connecting rod attached thereto lllustrating the clamping members in their open position ready to receive a fender and before being clamped thereto.

Figure 4 shows an enlarged, detail, perspective view illustrating the means for adjusting the tension of the connecting rods.

Figure 5 shows a perspective view of a quantities ofcheap. and. i y" obtainable umaterial, 1 with a minimum: of machine'work, to. there '1' more Ii '1. fullyset 'forth, pointedrout: m'fvmy claim,

and illnstratedrin :the" accompanying-draw giodifiedaformrofithe lower; clamping. memer.

Refer-rip gtoxthe-accompanying drawings,

I have use "the -referencernumeral lOrtoindicate a-fenc1er of the ordinary :construction. The. upper fender 1c] am ping memberris indicated generally. by i the reference numeral 11. .'It 5lS: IIIfld ot: a single: piece. of .strap 1 metal. 5.1128 c'entr.al" portion sis shaped. :itofifit the contour of the fender to which ;it'-;is.:to

hook shapedportion 1210'extendrunderihe fender- :flange, and its: inner end is provided with. a substantially horizontal extension. 13 having a vertical gopenuig through-tit.

The -';-lower .-.clamping mem'ber ::;is 2 also formed of a. single pieceof:strap metal and comprises a -flat. :body portion. la with a .downwaitllyszextended gripping flaw-1.115 at pne'endiand an upwardly extenddgrippin 1 3 saw..- 16 at. the: ".othersend. "It' is provide with-san opening. .to" receive: the: 'ronnecting rod hereinafter described, but this opening :is arranged nearerthe grippin :jaw 16Tithan thegri ing'jaw l5zasiclearlyr IOTWlI-illf Eigr purposesfhereinaftermade clear.

The connecting arodsis indicated generally by the referencernumeral '?1 'Z "and :isxformed of a piece of: metal rod havingzitszinnenend ..,;'notched atitsto aszshown bythereierence numeral :18;.aan havi .ita-outermnct bent downwardly atilfland. en 0utwa'rdly ati20. dens-of a :diameterztoslooselyzenter' the openingsinsthe rte-313 aha-i 14.

pBetween-"t e tworonnectingcrods :112 there ::is a'tension member which is formeditom- .plete :of. a: singlerapiececofz channel; bar. "and comprises embody? portion -21. Pin its: sides .near: each: 'endnretwo'tinclined :slots :22, and slidablyzxmonnted each: air. :of slots :is. a p rodz23zliaving hearls' -iformed omits ends at 2; shows-an: enlarged, detail, per

24-1-0 prevmtclongitiidinakmovement of the rods, which rods are herein referred to as wedge rivets.

In practice it will be seen that the entire device is formed complete of several pieces of ordinary metal, easily obtainable in almost any community, and requiring only very simple bending and cutting operation. Hence, it is obvious that the entire device may be manufactured in quantities at an ex ense not greatly in excess of the cost of t e material.

In appl ing my improved fender brace to fenders o the size for which the brace was originally intended, the upper clamping apart from the upper gripping member.

-Then when the rods 17-have their inner ends moved downwardly, the lower gripping members will be moved upwardly to engage the tender, as shown in Figure 2. \Vhen these two rods 17 are inappro vimate 1y. horizontal positions, then the tension member is. applied thereto by inserting the ends of the rods through the ends thereof under'the avedge'rivets, thenlthe rods are drawn together until theaproper tension is -"appli ed,' whereupon the wedge rivets will lock the rods firmly together.

Assuming, however, that the device is" to be applied to alfender otless width, then" the operator simply removes the lower tendsion member fronr the rod .17 and turns it T maybe utilized as. originally made. v.

The device as illustrated in Figure 2 may upside down: and re-appliesit to the rod17 and places the long end thereof in position to engage" the fender, as SllOWil n Figure3n" v., .Inthe" event that it is desired to apply the device to fenders that are spacedmore widely apart thairusuahthen it is only neeossa'ry'to provide a new tension'member of greater length, and allot the other he used. without changing on almost allsizes and shapes of tenders, butin the event that an unusual size ispresentedglm'y device may 'ie adapted very readily an'drquickly. and with a minimum expense to anyi'ormi or size otienderz." 1 v f:

The only parts: o'fimy fender brace that require any special care-in themanufa'cture are the upper clamping member and the connecting rods,- which must be notched flat oneend.. These can .bestandardized for all sizes and .shapes of tenders and widthjsof parts thecar between thefenders. The reversible lower clamping member gives two adjustments and is suflicient for ordinary purposes, but if desired, new lower clamping members may be provided very quickly and cheaply, and may be made without special tools or machinery in any machine or blacksmith shop.

In the modified form shown in F igure 5,1 have shown a lower clamping member with one jaw only, which may be substituted for the clamping member having a clamping j aw at each end.

I claim as my invention: An improved tender brace comprising an upper clamping member formed of strap meta1 and designed to be placed on top of a tender and formed with a hook at its outer end to pass under the edge of the tender and Iiormed with an extension at its inner end having anopening through it, a lower clamping member made of strap metal and arranged under the inner end of the upper clan'ipin'g member and formed with a jaw extended downwardly and outwardly and also v i'ormed with an'opening adapted to register with the'opening in the first namedclamp member, a connecting rod having its end extended downwardly and then outwardly and c iesigned to be passed through the registering openings in both clamping members, said parts being so arranged that as the inner endof the rod is moved downwardly, the

lower clamping jaw is .moved upwardly. toward the upper clamping member, said low or clamping member being formed with an extension projectedin a'direetion opposite from the clamping jaw and extended upwardly and then inwardly and'bein'gof a length-tfroin'i the said opening different from the." length "of the clamping jaw and de-' signed-"to; be engaged by the said rod so that as the inner end of the'rod" moves down: wardly it will engage said extension andaid in forcing the gripping'jaw upwardly as the rod moves downwardly,-a nd also so I th'a-t"the said grippingmembe'r-may-be reiVQiSQ'Cl'ltO adapt.it.1or fenders of different 1 widths: j f Des Moines, Iowa, NovemberZ, 1924'. 1

WILLIAM e; DU N; 

